[soi 2]

Originally Posted by gonzo

Good luck with it bud

Thanks gonzo. Well done to your Dad going cold turkey and just stopping on will power alone. That must have been hard going at times. I'd like as much help as possible, just to kill the cravings off in the early days and then try and get out of the habit.

Originally Posted by tom

The big motivator is that your health can only get worse if you continue.

I wish you the best in your attempts.

Thanks Tom. I've been googling Zyban since reading your post and it sounds like it would be a good help. I know one or two people who've taken Champix and that sounds a bit harsh. Making them feel ill some days.

For me it's not about saving money but my health. I can buy cheap rolling baccy at work. £75 for ten 50 gram pouches that would be nearly 17 quid each in the shops these days. I'm just sick of the chronic cough and wheeze that is turning into a shortness of breath. I work in a gym and I'm fine doing weights but stick me on a treadmill and I'm struggling. I'm 37 and I'm thinking if I keep smoking like this for another ten, fifteen years then I'm going to wreck myself.

Good luck staying off them and thanks for the Zyban tip.

Originally Posted by kuranda_bagman

In general I believe the most important thing about giving up is that mentally, you must really want to. If you're only half hearted about it then you will not succeed. Each ex smoker has their own path to success and they will vary considerably.

Thanks for the advice John. Lots of good suggestions there. I've thought about stopping before but never really had the drive to go and see it through.

One or two things have happened in the last couple of years. I watched my aunt die slowly over a week, on oxygen, in hospital last November. That was a long lingering death to watch. The penny started to drop that if I don't change my lifestyle I could end up like that one day. So that's my motivation.

Temptation wise, I should be OK at home. I work in a gym/ health club so no smoking at work anyway. I don't go out much here. Just finish work and go home. So I'm not hanging about pubs. I can see how Thailand could be hard though. Drinking and smoking 'in your face' every night.

Thanks everyone for the ideas, I'll do a bit more research into nicotine patches and Zyban and see which option would suit me best and then go for it.